All excellent ideas! I registered with odesk, getafreelancer and have also dealt with elance...all good sources of small contracts and a great way to get ideas about new services that can be offered to clients.

I bit the bullet and took the financial hit to totally focus on my business. I started in Nov. 06 and quickly realized that my 20+ years of experience did not cover many of the things I needed to know in my new world. Instead of being underpaid for my efforts I decided to take a few months and work on learning the things I needed to know to be successful and start my business on my own terms. Since January my business has really grown and I am making what I made at my last job which is pretty nice. It will take some time to pay back the money I borrowed to live, but I view it as an investment and spent my time learning and obtaining my own clients, I have replaced a few along the way and turned down some too. We only need a few clients to have a profitable VA solo business and if you spend time doing work that does not make you happy you may never get the business you envision. There are risks and sacrifices in creating any business and I truly believe that is what makes it possible to achieve true independence and success. This was not easy, I am a single Mom with no help in any way but worth every stressful moment.

All the best to everyone!
Donna

Donna,

Thanks for sharing your success story!

Deirdre

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Deirdre's Virtual Office

Donna,

Your story is amazing to me!
What did you do? Did you quit the 9-5 job and take classes on topics you felt you needed to learn?
What did you do for health insurance?
Lots of questions, i know, but i am seriously thinking that I am going to have to take the plunge and quit the 9-5 job to focus on the real career that I want which is owning a virtual assistant business.

I just don't have time to learn what to do while working 60 hours a week for a horrible boss that has put me in a state of depression.

I was in the same boat, working 60 hours per week PT, leaving my precious 3 year old in the incapable hands of his father and getting on a train and commuting over an hour to NYC to a job that I used to love, but now hated.

I learned about the VA industry and once I started to formulate my plan I just found that I could not do it another day and quit my 9 to whenever job, which is very uncharacteristic for me. I incorporated, created a website, printed business cards and off I went.

I worked in such a dysfunctional environment that most of what I did was irrelevant to people who actually wanted to be successful and after the first 2 months of just pulling my stuff together and spending Christmas with my son (I was in the finance dept of a law firm so year end was a nightmare) I realized that I knew nothing and signed up for every free webinar I could. I may have been successful faster if I took classes, but I just thought about what would I need someone to do for me as a small business and learned it. Quickbooks, e-marketing, collaborative software, timekeeping software, database creation, blogging, create a simple website and website maintenance and I hooked up with quality people who offer the services that made no sense for me to offer. This way even if I do not offer a particular service, I can still be helpful to my client and work with people I like and trust. Plus the referrals work both ways.

Marketing, networking and follow-up is invaluable. This is how I have gotten all of my clients. Sometimes it takes months for them to see that they need you.

I am also very honest about what I do not know, but very open to learning new things at a reduced rate through the learning curve and so far that has worked out very well. I am getting paid to learn and unless I really screw something up there is a guaranteed client at the end of the road. In my opinion a better alternative that working through a service.

Sorry to ramble and do not want to bore the entire forum, but you asked!

Donna

Donna,

Your story of starting your business is great.

Originally Posted by Donna

Instead of being underpaid for my efforts I decided to take a few months and work on learning the things I needed to know to be successful and start my business on my own terms.

I really like this statement. This is exactly the problem I have with thinking along the lines of "I'll take peanut pay for a while to get experience". Maybe it's worked for others, but I'm not willing to work for peanuts. I'd rather work 10-15 hours a week at my rate and barely scrape by leaving me the rest of the time to market my business and learn things for my business than spend 40 hours a week working for peanuts to still scrape by but be tired and defeated at the end of it all.

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Lanel Taylor, CVA ~ Virtual Bookkeeper
Taylored Office Solutions
Custom fit solutions for all your office needs.

I agree 100%! What's the point of trading one unsatisfying situation for another? Freedom and flexibility are worth any sacrifice, in my opinion.

Originally Posted by lanelt

Donna, I'd rather work 10-15 hours a week at my rate and barely scrape by leaving me the rest of the time to market my business and learn things for my business than spend 40 hours a week working for peanuts to still scrape by but be tired and defeated at the end of it all.

Here is an opportunity to audition for some of the top multi-va firms, for anyone interested in subbing. This is being done by Erin Blaskie, so it's legit.

Auditions end tomorrow, but you may still be able to sign up. I just found this today.

So You Think You Can Sub?

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Rebecka Melson ~ Virtual Business Services

I'm new and developing my business plan and putting my business processes in place. I agree w/the prior post, this forum is full of great information. Every time I visit (which is almost on a daily basis) it's like I've been through a mentoring session.

Donna,

I don't even know you but I'm so proud of your accomplishments!! Im very new at this and still learning! Your story was very inspirational..Thanks!!